The Nintendo Entertainment System is one of the great success stories in video game history. To better explain the story of this console, we first have to talk about some of the history of videogames before the console was even started...

In the late seventies and early eighties, American giant Atari dominated the worldwide home video game market, with a number of other developers trying to compete but falling short. However, between 1982 and 1984, the American videogame market crashed and paved way for a new wave of consoles & manufacturers. The crash was due a number of key events which effected each of the existing video game companies at that time.

Consumer confidence in Atari had fallen after a number of highly anticipated releases failed to impress. The 2600 version of Pacman looked nothing like Namco's arcade hit, and Atari spent a fortune on the rights to produce a game for E.T. So confident were they that the game would outsell anything else ever produced that they (apparently) produced more copies of the games than there were consoles! The game was a disaster, and Atari ended up destroying millions of copies of both games, along with a slew of other games they had 'over produced'.

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The American market turned its attention to the Colecovision, made by Coleco. Not only did it boast a number of almost arcade perfect games from Nintendo, Sega & Konami but it produced an adapter to allow Atari 2600 games to be played on the Coleco console. Atari fought back by releasing the 5200, which was an improvement on their 2600 and had superior sound and graphics capability. Unfortunately the machine didn't sell very well, and Atari announced poor sales resulting in a massive stock drop for Warner Communications, its parent company.

The advent of the Commodore 64 computer, a cheap powerful alternative to video games consoles sparked Coleco to reveal its new 'Adam' computer. The company piled all its money into production of the new machine, which was a very bad move as the machines were poorly made and over half were sent back with faults. Eventually Coleco went bust, the Colecovision disappeared into the ether, and its games went with it.

Nintendo had felt some of the impact of this as they had ported a few of their successful arcade games (Donkey Kong & Donkey Kong Jr) onto the Colecovision. But Nintendo had also decided that if they were going to release their own titles onto the home video game market, they would also produce the machines to play them on...

They started producing the Family Computer, or Famicom as it is better known, and it was released in Japan in 1983. Unfortunately, its early release wasn't without its problems. The 'console' (I use this term loosely, as it was initially released as a home computer) was produced in remarkably quick time, probably as an attempt to compete with Sega's third offering - the Sega Mark III, and as such the Famicom had a number of teething problems.

Nintendo noticed that their machine had done relatively well not as a home computer, but as a games console. They had ported the same games onto their new Famicom that disappeared with the Colecovision and this seemed to be the selling point of the new machine. Nintendo had initially signed a deal with Atari, which gave the American giant the sole rights to produce the Famicom outside of Japan. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of a insider trading scandal at Atari, the Nintendo deal fell through. But as one door closed another one opened!

1984 was the most disastrous year for the American Video Game market. MB had dropped the price of the Vectrex so much it was losing money on every console sold, eventually causing it to be scrapped. As previously mentioned the Colecovision disappeared without trace, and the Intellevision also bowed out after Mattel Electronics was shut down. Finally, after a series of game flops, poor console sales and other financial scandals, Warner sells off Atari. Its new owners announce they will no longer be selling video games consoles, only producing games.

All this left a massive hole in the market - one that Nintendo was very keen to plug. They had developed a new incarnation of the Famicom, solely for playing video games. Keen to get the console onto western shores they 'tested' the console in New York stores, promising to buy back any unsold machines from the now cautious retailers. Of course there weren't any unsold machines, and within a matter of weeks the new Nintendo Entertainment System was being sold Nationwide.

Such was the demand for the new console that shops could not keep up. This was a feat that even Atari hadn't managed to achieve. The American gamers had been waiting a long time for something new, something that offered better titles than what Atari had churned out and the Nintendo had it all. Helped along by an Italian Plumber named Mario, the Nintendo Entertainment System was the must have toy for the American Youth during 1984/85.

It was the fact that Nintendo was the first to get its foot in the door that helped it keep ahead of its competitors. By the time the Sega Master System came along, every other kid already owned a Nintendo, so everyone wanted to stick together and have the same as their friends. Even though the Master System was the better of the two machines, the general consensus was to go with the majority. And the majority had already chosen the NES.

Nintendo sensing they had the upper hand started to 'lock in' game developers. Everyone wanted to make games for the NES - they had the biggest market share so by that logic more units would be sold. Fine said Nintendo - make games for us. But only us. One by one big names were being tied into Nintendo America, which effectively gave them a Monopoly over the video games market. Eventually, they would be forced to relax these ties by the US Government, but by this time they had already won round one of the Nintendo vs Sega video games war!

However, this shouldn't detract away from the fact that the Nintendo was a truly amazing machine which gave birth to some of the best known characters and game franchises. Zelda, Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid & Megaman were all made household names on the NES, and Nintendo had set the standard against which all future games consoles would compete.

Buy Nintendo Nes For Sale at Console Passion

Doctor 'O' - the clone plan genius - has been kidnapped by the sinister seven. Also swiped was his computerised military defence system, which the thugs have reprogrammed to destroy the world. Now its future, and ultimately Earth's survival, depend on your crack Mission Impossible team to perform and secret surgical strike and rescue.

Thousands of history's famous monsters gather for the meeting of the century. But their volcanic convention centre erupts, mysteriously turning them into terrors of pint-size proportions. They escape to the home of Jack, the teenage 'Captain of Cool'. There begins a battle between the good Ghouls and the Warlock's band of evil...

Walking home from a baseball game one evening, Mark gazed up at the misty sky. Suddenly, as blazing star plummeted to earth with a blinding light. When Mark regained his sight, a mysterious creature was standing before him. The creature hold an eerie tale about his home planet, the Dark World, where evil monsters were terrorizing the helpless...

Whether you're an aspiring amateur or a professional-class golfer, NES open Tournament Golf puts you right in the thick of a world-class golf tournament. Select your club, check the wind and the lay of the turf, and then drive your way toward winnings worth over one million dollars!

Do you have what it takes to beat the beastly Wally Walrus and rescue Tiki's friends from becoming Kiwi Stew? In this fun-filled romp across the island of New Zealand you will encounter Wally's Henchmen. The Soldier Crabs, The Flying Spearmen, Kool Koala and Flying Teddy. No other game is like it. more enemies, great music and some of...

The Nintendo Entertainment System is the most advanced video game system ever developed. Just pop in any game from our ever expanding library of Nintendo game packs and experience true-to-life arcade video that will have you literally on the edge of your seat. Comes with control deck, 2 game controllers, zapper light gun, Mario Brothers / Duck...

Complete with all parts and manuals except the top polystyrene piece of the inner box.

The official Nintendo Advatage controller. This is a tough, arcade style joystick with a big grip handle for more precise gaming control. Much better than the control pads that come with the console and much more durable. This item is fully tested and comes boxed with instructions.

The official Nintendo Advantage controller. This is a tough, arcade style joystick with a big grip handle for more precise gaming control. Much better than the control pads that come with the console and much more durable. This item is fully tested and comes unboxed without instructions.

The Nintendo Entertainment System is the most advanced video game system ever developed. Just pop in any game from our ever expanding library of Nintendo game packs and experience true-to-life arcade video that will have you literally on the edge of your seat. This is the very rare Asian console which has been modified to play all Asian (except...

The Nintendo Entertainment System is the most advanced video game system ever developed. Just pop in any game from our ever expanding library of Nintendo game packs and experience true-to-life arcade video that will have you literally on the edge of your seat. Comes with control deck, 2 game controllers, power pack & RF Lead. The box and...

This is a smart little bit of kit that neatly stores your console and other peripherals away neatly. There is space for one console, two controllers, the power supply and several games. Enables you to store neatly and transport easily and safely.

The official Nintendo controller that comes with the console. These controllers are quite hard to come by on their own and most people have to settle for third party controllers. Well the good news is I've got plenty! They are all clean and don't have any chunks missing like some controllers I've seen! I test all controllers by...

Ultra Rare ROB the Robot NES Set!! The Nintendo Entertainment System is the most advanced video game system ever developed. Just pop in any game from our ever expanding library of Nintendo game packs and experience true-to-life arcade video that will have you literally on the edge of your seat. Comes with control deck, ROB the Robot, Gyros, 2...

The Nintendo Entertainment System is the most advanced video game system ever developed. This is the Mario Brothers console set. Just pop in any game from our ever expanding library of Nintendo game packs and experience true-to-life arcade video that will have you literally on the edge of your seat. Comes with control deck, 2 game controllers,...

The Honey Bee Famicom Adapter Cart. This cartridge allows 60 pin Famicom Games to be Played on 72 Pin American & European NES consoles. Please note you still need the region lockout chip disabling - we can do this - see our modification page for more information. This item comes unboxed.

The official Sega Nintendo Multitap. The four-player multi-tap is an absolute must for anyone with a group of friends who also love retro gaming. You can connect an extra two controllers to your joystick port, allowing four players to play certain games simultaneously. This item comes boxed with instructions.

The official Sega Nintendo Multitap. The four-player multi-tap is an absolute must for anyone with a group of friends who also love retro gaming. You can connect an extra two controllers to your joystick port, allowing four players to play certain games simultaneously. This item comes unboxed.

This little gadget can be used to cheat on your favourite games. It simply slots into your cartridge slot like a regular game and you put a normal game in the other end and enter your cheat codes. You can get these codes from magazines or sites like www.gamefaqs.com for infinite lives, time etc. This item is fully tested and comes boxed.

This little gadget can be used to cheat on your favourite games. It simply slots into your cartridge slot like a regular game and you put a normal game in the other end and enter your cheat codes. You can get these codes from magazines or sites like www.gamefaqs.com for infinite lives, time etc. This item is fully tested and comes loose without...

This is a third party pad suitable for the NES. Brand new and boxed, it is a cheap alternative replacement to the official pads - great if you have lost or broken your old one and don't want to spend too much on replacing it. The item is boxed and brand new.

I've got a few spare manuals for the NES. Quite useful if you've bought a console and it had its manual missing and you want the contents to be complete. Or maybe your just interested on how Nintendo recommend you look after your console! Whatever reason you have, these are in mint condition with no writing inside and no creased pages.

The Nintendo Entertainment System is the most advanced video game system ever developed. Just pop in any game from our ever expanding library of Nintendo game packs and experience true-to-life arcade video that will have you literally on the edge of your seat. Comes with control deck, 2 game controllers, Mario 2 game cartridge, power pack & RF...

The Nintendo Entertainment System is the most advanced video game system ever developed. This is the Mario Brothers console set. Just pop in any game from our ever expanding library of Nintendo game packs and experience true-to-life arcade video that will have you literally on the edge of your seat. Comes with control deck, 2 game controllers,...

The Nintendo Entertainment System is the most advanced video game system ever developed. This is the Mario Brothers console set. Just pop in any game from our ever expanding library of Nintendo game packs and experience true-to-life arcade video that will have you literally on the edge of your seat. Comes with control deck, 2 game controllers,...

The official Nintendo Max controller. This amazing accessory adds even more excitement to your NES. It features a 360º revolving cycloid button that allows on-screen movement in eight directions for greater accuracy, and its also equipped with a Turbo Power auto-fire button! I test all controllers by giving Mario a quick bash! This item comes...

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Third party joystick made by the reliable Quickshot company. A very unusable design - you grip the controller with both hands like a flight stick, and the buttons are on top! Has auto fire button too for shooters. Has been tested and works fine....